Void Linux is the most stable rolling distribution I have ever used.
I pulled out a computer I haven't used in a while. It's running Void. Did a full system update, absolutely no issues. I took a look at what it was running before the update. A couple packages that have a date for a version were dated 2021.
Before I got onto Void I used Arch for a year or two. It gave me so much trouble. In that short time I had to do a couple fresh installs because updating something or other requires manual intervention.
The software is not always as up to date as Arch, but I would recommend Void over Arch to anyone who is looking for that kind of distribution, especially if you're not well-versed in fixing Linux userspaces.
(the systemd stuff is just a bonus)
Apr 12 · 4 weeks ago · 👍 Hein, ghost, argenkiwi, hglamp, swannodette · 🔥 1
14 Comments ↓
The idea of an ever-changing system is so antithetical to what I think I want that it's terrifying .. But in practice it may make more sense than an occasional gigabyte update, especially with my poor IT-fu.
I so miss an 80's computer where you toggle the switch and it's on, and will never change.
thanks for sharing this, its cool that is works so well for you. im really curious now to try it, since i also kind of didnt click with arch
@lamb-duh Couldn't agree more. I've used Void for 8 years now. It's one of the best distributions i've ever used if not the best, xbps is awesome. Only regret is that beginners will see it as a difficult system to setup and use and they will never bother trying it.
Curious if there is an easy option to remove age verification nonsense
thanks... i`ve never heard of void before.. as a postmarketos & popos user who also had issues with arch (it ate too much time), void sounds very interesting to me too..
🥬 lamb-duh [OP] · Apr 12 at 23:09:
The idea of an ever-changing system is so antithetical to what I think I want that it's terrifying
I agree and I suspect that's what's going wrong with Arch updates. Void has really been the same system for me throughout. (although, they were actually one of the first distributions to adopt systemd, and then one of the only ones to unadopt it, but that happened before I came in)
Only regret is that beginners will see it as a difficult system to setup and use and they will never bother trying it.
I think that's okay. It's not a distribution I would recommend to a beginner because of how batteries-not-included it is. I would certainly recommend it to anyone who wished that they better understood linux.
Curious if there is an easy option to remove age verification nonsense
I have never had to verify my identity to use Void.
🐸 chilledfrogs · Apr 12 at 23:14:
I've also been a happy Void user for years now, having migrated from Arch as well, and yes, the installer is still a bit rough around the edges thus far but apart from that it's rock solid
Great that it's working so well for you! That's exactly why I love rolling distros for private use. Anecdotally, I have exactly this experience on Arch 😁 running the same installation for close to 15 years now. Did a similar update with a 3-5 year gap on an old laptop a few years back, and was left with a feeling of bliss when not a single issue occurred.
Interested to try it
🥬 lamb-duh [OP] · Apr 14 at 15:35:
I have exactly this experience on Arch 😁
That's good to hear! At least some of the problems I had on Arch but not Void will come down to having all the experience and knowledge I gained while using Arch.
🌲 Half_Elf_Monk · Apr 14 at 16:03:
I'd not thought of that, but appreciate the stability. I've dabbled with artix before (becacuse non-systemd), but when I came back to one machine after abt 8mo of disuse, updates broke the whole thing somehow. So thanks for the reccommend.
Same here, been on it nearly a decade. Overview at my capsule here: gemini://splint.rs/void.gmi
@ghost Your article about Void is great. Got a bit scared when you started with "Systemd is fine" but that quickly dissipated.